AHCA Medicaid Cuts Would Hit Rural Areas Hardest

According to an analysis conducted by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion disproportionately benefited rural Americans over their urban counterparts. The American Health Care Act’s (AHCA) proposed cuts to Medicaid, rolling it back to below funding levels established by the ACA, would negatively affect millions of kids and adults.

Rural and small town voters–those often credited with Trump’s 2016 election victory, could stand to lose the most if the president’s health-care overhaul is signed into law. Both nationally and in Colorado, the report found, higher percentages of people in small towns and rural communities are covered by Medicaid than in cities.

Medicaid plays a larger role in providing health coverage to families living in small towns and rural communities than it does in metropolitan areas, a trend that is particularly striking among children. About 45 percent of children in small towns and rural areas rely on Medicaid for their coverage, compared to 38 percent in metro areas. In 14 states, more than half of the children outside of metro areas receive health benefits from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). County level urban and rural Medicaid coverage across the US are available on this map: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/map/the-percent-of-children-in-small-towns-and-rural-areas-covered-by-medicaid-201415/

in Colorado, rural area Medicaid coverage grew 11% with the ACA. 42% of rural kids in CO are covered by #Medicaid.